A GROWING NUMBER OF MENTAL HEALTH CALLS. VICKI: LIFE CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANT. AND SOME DECISIONS LAST FOREVER. ALONG TRIBUTE ROAD, ABOVE HIGHWAY 160, THE OVERPASS BECAME A DIRE SOLUTION. -- SITUATION. >> HOW’S IT GOING? VICKI: A MAN ON THE BRINK. >> DO YOU FEEL LIKE TALKING TO US? VICKI: JUST ABOUT TO GIVE UP. >> NO, NO, NO. VICKI: BUT GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE. THREE SACRAMENTO POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDING TO THE MAN’S 911 CALL FOR HELP. >> WE’RE HERE FOR YOU, BUD. WE’RE HERE FOR YOU. WE’RE HERE FOR YO VICKI: A LIFE-OR-DEATH RESPONSE THAT BEGINS WITH DISPATCHERS. >> HE REALLY JUST WANTED SOME HELP. VICKI: IN SACRAMENTO, MENTAL HEALTH CALLS ARE GROWING. >> I THINK WE’VE TAKEN ALMOST 3000 MENTAL HEALTH CALLS THIS YEAR. VICKI: LAST YEAR THE CITY RECEIVED NEARLY 11,000 MENTAL HEALTH CALLS. THAT’S ROUGHLY 30 EACH DAY. AND NEARLY ONCE A WEEK, ONE OF THOSE CALLS WAS SOMEONE THREATENING TO JUMP. SACRAMENTO POLICE, STARTING A MENTAL HEALTH UNIT LAST YEAR, FOR THIS GROWING RESPONSIBILITY. >> FUNDING CHANGED. THESE FACILITIES CLOSED. AND SOME OF THEM WOUND UP ON THE STREET AND SO NOW WE HAVE THAT HOMELESS COMPONENT THAT WE’RE ADDRESSING AS WELL. WE CAN’T DO IT BY OURSELVES. VICKI: PARTNERING WITH NON-PROFITS, LIKE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS, FOR GUIDANCE. >> THE BIGGER PART OF IT IS THAT OUR SOCIAL SAFETY NETS ARE FALLING APART, SO WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THE POLICE THAT ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS, CATCHING ALL OF THIS. >> I’M GLAD YOU WAITED FOR US. THAT MEANS YOU CARE. THAT MEANS YOU DON’T WANT TO HURT YOURSELF. YOU WAITED FOR US. VICKI: TRAINING THAT FOCUSES ON REDUCING HARM. >> SO WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO, IS WE’RE GOING TO WALK DOWN TO OUR CAR, OK? >> YOU’RE NOT IN TROUBLE, PAL. VICKI: AND CONNECTING A DESPERATE MOMENT TO RESOURCES, WITH COMPASSIO

Sacramento police sprang into action earlier this month to save the life of a man who threatened to jump off a highway overpass when he was having a mental health crisis, authorities said Thursday. The man called 911 the morning of March 4, and dispatchers worked to de-escalate the situation until officers arrived at the area of Tribute Road and Highway 160, the Sacramento Police Department said. As officers approached the man, he tried to jump off the overpass onto the highway, but the officers pulled him away from the overpass railing. Video released by the department shows the officers prying the man away from the overpass and trying to calm him down. The man was then taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police said they released videos of how the incident unfolded to "inform our community on the complex, difficult and dangerous job of our police officers and dispatchers. Moreover, it highlights the difficulties that can be associated with responding to people in crisis in our community," the news release reads in part. The videos were redacted to protect the man's identity. Last year, Sacramento police responded to 10,999 mental health-related calls, the department said. Forty-six of those included someone threatening to jump off an overpass or bridge. “He really just wanted some help," Sacramento dispatcher Tammy Prince said. "Most people, when they call us, if they’re at that point, they’re reaching out to someone for help. Because they’re past being able to help themselves.” As of Wednesday, officers have responded to 2,951 mental health-related calls for service in 2019.All of the department's academy graduates complete a 40-hour course on crisis intervention training before they hit the streets as patrol officers. The Sacramento Police Department also has a mental health unit that started last year. “We’re learning how we can better approach that situation so that it is better for the individual and better for the officer -- and certainly better for the community," said Sgt. Laura Peck, with the unit. "There are a number of challenges. Specifically, being able to identify what you’re dealing with. And, sometimes, it’s not readily apparent.”The department partners with local nonprofits for guidance and training. “I think our society is accelerating faster than we can keep up with," said David Bain, with the National Alliance for Mental Illness, Sacramento. “Our social safety nets are falling apart, so what ends up happening is the police are at the bottom of this, catching all of this. People are falling through the holes.” *** If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or you can chat online here. ***

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —

Sacramento police sprang into action earlier this month to save the life of a man who threatened to jump off a highway overpass when he was having a mental health crisis, authorities said Thursday.

The man called 911 the morning of March 4, and dispatchers worked to de-escalate the situation until officers arrived at the area of Tribute Road and Highway 160, the Sacramento Police Department said.

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As officers approached the man, he tried to jump off the overpass onto the highway, but the officers pulled him away from the overpass railing. Video released by the department shows the officers prying the man away from the overpass and trying to calm him down.

The man was then taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Police said they released videos of how the incident unfolded to "inform our community on the complex, difficult and dangerous job of our police officers and dispatchers. Moreover, it highlights the difficulties that can be associated with responding to people in crisis in our community," the news release reads in part. The videos were redacted to protect the man's identity.

Last year, Sacramento police responded to 10,999 mental health-related calls, the department said. Forty-six of those included someone threatening to jump off an overpass or bridge.

“He really just wanted some help," Sacramento dispatcher Tammy Prince said. "Most people, when they call us, if they’re at that point, they’re reaching out to someone for help. Because they’re past being able to help themselves.”

As of Wednesday, officers have responded to 2,951 mental health-related calls for service in 2019.

All of the department's academy graduates complete a 40-hour course on crisis intervention training before they hit the streets as patrol officers.

The Sacramento Police Department also has a mental health unit that started last year.

“We’re learning how we can better approach that situation so that it is better for the individual and better for the officer -- and certainly better for the community," said Sgt. Laura Peck, with the unit. "There are a number of challenges. Specifically, being able to identify what you’re dealing with. And, sometimes, it’s not readily apparent.”

The department partners with local nonprofits for guidance and training.

“I think our society is accelerating faster than we can keep up with," said David Bain, with the National Alliance for Mental Illness, Sacramento. “Our social safety nets are falling apart, so what ends up happening is the police are at the bottom of this, catching all of this. People are falling through the holes.”

*** If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the national suicide prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or you can chat online here. ***